Convertible athletic garment



y 948- MINTZES 2,440,868

coiwERTIBLE ATHLETIC GARMENT Filed Sept. 4, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l 2 BY INVENTOR" ATTORNEY May 4, 1948. MINTZES CONVERTIBLE ATHLETIC GARMENT Filed Sept. '4, 1945 ZSheets-Sheet 2 LOUIS MINTZES IN VEN TOR BYW MW A TTORNE Y Patented May 4, 1948 "PATENT I 2,440,868' I *illiNVERTiBIIE"ATHIEETIU'GARMENT -liouis M-intzess lsland Park, N. Y.,- assignor --of one-half to-JackLitt, Harrison, N. 5f.

Application" September 4, leisy'seriaI Nofci-ai ie 1 'Thi'sinvention relates to :garments having verted pleats which :are um'tedzp'art way up to form a crotch and which are 'adapted ifor ath- -ietic -orrgymnasiumuse an'd convertible for street wear.

An object of this invention is ito :cprovi'de a convertible "garment compr-ising "an r outer :garrnent member'havi-n'g an integrahcrotclr and having an integral =ribbon-like :meinber, thG-il'ibbOIllike member :comprisirigseparable *ieg embracing portions and the separate'aporti'ons 'being fold- -ab1e 'int'o "concealment *within Ep OUketS, :the packets being secured -to 'the inverted ipieats.

Another'objec't' of this-"invention is to =-provide "pairs of op'positely faclngspockets and ipairs 'of strip extensions ex'tending from the rospective pockets =toward eachother, -whereby,*upn securing the :free end r-port-ions t of each 1 pair :of the 'ex-tensionsthere is formed a leg "embracing memoer in each deg iportion withegarment;

Another-objectpfthis inventioh is to "provide improvements in a bifurcated garment having a crotch, and comprising fabric strips extending respectively from the front and rear of the garment, the s'aid strips l orihing i ibbon-like inner members positioned in substantially covering relation "withthe crotch 'ai'idthefby e'fictconcealment of the body portion of'the wearer at the crotch.

Withthe above and other objects in yiew -the invention will be hereinafter snore particularly described, and the combination andarrange- -ment -of parts will be shownmithe accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims which form part of this specification.

Reference will now be had to the drawings, wherein like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the assembled garment showing a through opening at the lower portion of the garment, such as appears when the garment is used for athletic purposes, one of the leg-encircling portions of the garment being broken away to show one of the leg-embracing members in position over a thigh of the wearer.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view, the section being taken as on line 22 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a garment panel showing one of its vertical edges folded over for forming an inverted pleat.

Figure 4 is a plan view of a section of fabric used for attachment to the folded panel shown in Figure 2 and having an integral strip ex- 2-0laims.

(Cleft-'71) tending in substantially riglit=angu1ar relation therewith and used to form ie'g 'enibracin g' ribhon-like members.

Figure 5 is a 1 plan view f the 'garrnnt ."Epanel shown in Figure *3, *With =the section of 'fabric shown in Figure4 'stitcl'ied thereto.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the numeral I c -in'dicates a convertible ath- "letic ga'rmentcomprising aniipper body :po'rtion H arida skirt i'portion 4'2. The skirt 12 has inverted fpleats 3, at the 5 front and rear *of "the garment. The spl'eafis are secu're'd part way up to f'ormacrotch *l 4 a'n'd two portiohs "I5; I 5 which freely encircle the -l'e'gs='of the wearer. Thevgarindent til comprises 'ribbon li'ke im'embers 'l 'l, I!

inside the Ieg=encirclihg portibns .15..

Figure 3 shows "one" of' f'our epanels ofwhich the garment *is made. Each panel '20 has its vertical edge 21 folded over #to provide "a rectan-gul-a'r "strip =22 or inner upright Jple'at -'mem- "ber extending -all"-the way from the top to the bottom -of the :panel.

Figure 4 'shows" a section of f-abric 23 particularly designed for' the purposes of this invention, 25 four sections being --required for a garment l0.

Each section -"-2-3 comprises-a -rectangular portion 2 l cr outenupright pleat member extending all the, way from-the-top ito-the --bottomof the panel,

and a-horizontal-strip-25 which extends substan- 30 -ti'ally;in right-angular -relation with the portion 26. The strips 25 on the sections 23 serve -in the formation of the ribbon-like members l1.

l w h ho izo l t i -2 is :a r ed tion 21 which'is in alinemerlt with the left hand edge of the rectangular portion 24.

Figure 5 shows the garment panel 20 with the section 23 stitched thereto along the free edge 26 of the folded strip 22 all the way down and including the free edge portion 21. In this 40 stitched position the rectangular portion 24 of the section of fabric 23 jointly with the folded strip 22, form half of an inverted pleat [3, best shown in Figure 2.

Each ribbon-like member I! is formed of two strips 25. Buttons 3| and buttonholes 32 secure the free end portions of the strips 25 and the members I! form leg-embracing means about each thigh of the wearer. The strips 25 extend an equal distance above and below the junction at the crotch.

At the end of each strip 25, where it is integral with a pleat I3, I provide a pocket 33, having an opening 34 which faces in a direction lengthwise of the strip. Each pocket is of a size 3. 20 Permit a strip to be foldable into concealment convertible athletic garment comprising thighembracing means whereby during exercising. when the free lower portion of the garment is raised and there is a tendency to expose the body portion of the wearer at the crotch the legembracing means come into play and prevent exposure of the body portionat the crotch.

Each leg-embracing ribbon-like member H is made of two separable strips of fabric 25 which are substantially of equal length so that pockets of one size may be used. The depth of each pocket 33 is made equal to one-half the length of a strip 25 and this permits each strip to be doubled and folded within a pocket.

When the strips 25 are folded into concealment within the pockets. they lie flat and do not hinder walking or exercising by the wearer.

The successive steps whereby each strip is inserted into its pocket are aslfollows: The strip is doubled over upon itself, with the free edge of the stri'ppositioned at the opening to the pocket. .The user .then opens the pocket and places the folded strip therein, close to an outer edge of one of the inverted pleats.

In the modified form of the invention incorporated in a garment called a short, the portion 21 is removed'up to the lower edge of the strip 25.

The disclosure herein shown may be applied to athletic garments, such as play suits, gymnasium suits, bowling dresses, cycling suits, skating suits, athletic shorts and bathing suits.

It is to be noted that each ribbon-like member i1 may be made of one piece. Also that the garment 10 may be made without the pockets 33. It is to be further noted that the sections 33 are normally inside the body of the garment.

' In accordance with the patent statutes I have described and illustrated thepreferred embodiment of my invention, but it will be understood that' various chan'ges and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim: 7

1, In an athletic garment having inverted front and rear pleats, said pleats being united to form a crotch, each of said pleats comprising outer and inner upright pleat members, ribbon-like strips extending respectively from said inner pleat members, said ribbon-like strips being positioned adjacent said crotch and being movable into embracing relation with the thighs of the wearer, said ribbon-like strips in thigh embracing position causing a portion of each of said inner pleat members to be moved into superposeable covering relation with the body portion at said crotch, said ribbon-like strips in said thigh embracing position serving to retain said covering portions of said inner pleat members in said body covering relation and effect concealments of the body portion of the wearer at said crotch while said outer pleat members permit enlargement of said garment during exercising.

2. In an athletic garment having inverted front and rear pleats, said pleats being united to form a crotch, each of said pleats comprising outer and inner upright pleat members, ribbon like strips extending respectively from said inner pleat members, said ribbon-like strips being positioned adjacent said crotch and being movable into embracing relation with the thighs of the wearer, said ribbon-like strips in thigh embracing position causing a portion of each of said inner pleat members to be moved into superposeable covering relation with the body portion at said crotch, said ribbon-like strips in said thigh embracing position serving to retain said covering portions of said inner pleat members in said body covering relation and effect concealments of the body portion of the wearer at said crotch while said outer pleat members permit enlargement of said garment during exercising, pockets secured to said pleat members and in alignment with said strips, and means for separating said strips from thigh-embracing positions to permit folding and placing said strips into concealment within said pockets. g

' v r v I LOUIS MIN'IZES.

REFERENCES CITED 1 The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Frye Sept. 12, 1944 

